L'Evangile dans ma vie/ The Gospel in my life

La fête de la pentecôte est une fête de naissance, la naissance de l’Eglise, une naissance dans le  baptême de l’eau et du feu confectionné par l’Esprit Saint.   Cette Eglise catholique est universelle, animé par l’Esprit Saint qui fait naitre en elle un peuple saint consacré et envoyé. Dans cette Eglise universelle et catholique  avec une immense diversité, l’Esprit de vérité unifie tous les peuples, comme un seul peuple avec plusieurs langues, cultures, race, etc. Aujourd’hui nous célébrons et prions ensembles, en plusieurs langues et rites, comme les membres d’un seul corps.

S’il y a une chose qui identifie les chrétiens et nous unifie, c’est le commandement du Seigneur, «’aimez-vous les uns les autres, comme je vous ai aimé’. En Jésus nous avons un modèle à imité et à nous configurer. Par son accompagnement et par notre engagement, cet amour qui domine le cœur des hommes, désormais est transformé comme un amour pur de Dieu, un amour descend du ciel. Cet amour est capable, nous dit saint Paul de soigner toute notre blessure. Comme un feu qui brule et transforme, cet amour burle en nous tout ce qui nous fait mal et dans sa douceur fait naitre en nous l’eau vive, qui donne la vie au monde.

Vivre une vie remplie d’amour n’est pas possible si nous ne sommes pas conduits par l’Esprit Saint, car nous vivons dans un monde plein de haine et de vengeance. Saint Paul nous confirme qu’un homme qui est conduis par l’Esprit Saint est capable d’espérer ce qu’il ne voit pas et à attendre avec persévérance. L’Esprit Saint qui habite en nous, nous apprend à nous patienter et il nous aide à persévérer dans notre engagement.

La vie chrétienne est une vie de témoignage qui rende visible l’Esprit Saint qui habite en nous et tout ce qui est invisible aux yeux des hommes. Par notre vie de témoignage, on est demandé de démontrer au monde que le vrai amour existe encore et nous pouvons toujours espérer avec certitude. Le Défenseur envoyé par Jésus nous aidera à découvrir cette vérité, le véritable accompagnement divin dans la vie de chacun et chacune de nous. Nous le croyons ou non, Dieu demeure en nous et Il fait encore les merveilles que notre Mère a chanté dans le magnificat : Quelle merveille fit le Seigneur !

Mes chers amis en Jésus Christ, c’est dans ce feu d’amour et de l’eau vive que le Seigneur a voulu nous faire naître dans cette Eglise. La création nous a révélé le créateur, l’incarnation nous a révélé le Rédempteur et la fête de la Pentecôte nous révèle Celui qui nous Sanctifie. L’Eglise du jour nous révèle le fruit de la Trinité qui unifie tout. Comme les disciples du Seigneur avec la Mère de Dieu, sortons de nos maisons, détruisons les murs qui nous séparent et annonçons au monde ce feu qui nous brule et l’eau qui nous fait vivre. Une bonne fête de la Pentecôte. Amen.

The feast of Pentecost is our birthday celebration, the birth of the Church, a birth in the baptism of water and fire made by the Holy Spirit. This Catholic Church is universal, animated by the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the people and send them as missionaries to the whole world. In this universal and Catholic Church, there are differences, of course, but also with a rich diversity that unifies all peoples, as one people with many languages, cultures, races, etc. As we today in this church that gathers, by all over the world we are together, celebrate the feast in many languages ​​and rites. This Church the Bridegroom of the Lord, prays together as members of one body.

If there is one thing that identifies us and unifies us, it is the commandment of the Lord, "Love one another, as I have loved you." In this commandment even though there is no novelty in itself, the newness is in the way Jesus loved us and in Him we have a model to imitate and to configure us. Through his accompaniment and by our listening and commitment, we can love one another as Jesus loved us. Thus, this love that dominates men's hearts, is now transformed as a pure love of God, a love descends from heaven. This love is capable, as Saint Paul tells us, of healing all our wound. Like a fire that burns and transforms, this love buries in us all that hurts us and in its gentleness makes us born again in the living water, which gives life to the world.

To live a life filled with love is not possible if we are not led by the Holy Spirit, because we live in a world full of hatred and revenge which produce lot of violence and war. St. Paul confirms to us that a man who is led by the Holy Spirit will be a man of God. The Holy Spirit helps him to hope for what he does not see and to wait with perseverance. The Holy Spirit who lives in us, teaches us to wait and helps us to persevere in our commitment.

The Christian life is a life of witness that makes visible the Holy Spirit who lives in us and all that is invisible to men. Through our life, we must demonstrate to the world that true love still exists and we can always hope with certainty and conviction. The Defender sent by Jesus will help us to discover this truth, the true divine accompaniment in the life of each one of us. We believe it or not, God dwells in us and He still does the wonders that our Mother sang in the magnificat: What wonder the Lord has done to me! He continues this wonder in and through us.

My dear friends in the Lord, it is in this fire of love and the living water that the Lord wanted us to be born in this Church. Creation has revealed to us the creator, the incarnation revealed to us the Redeemer, and the feast of Pentecost reveals to us the One who sanctifies us. The Church of the day reveals to us the fruit of the Trinity, which unifies everything. Just like the Apostles of the Lord with the Mother of God, let us come out of our homes and announce to the world this fire that burns us and the water that makes us live. I wish you all a holy feast of Pentecost. Amen.

Gospel text

(Jn 21,20-25): 

Peter looked back and saw that the disciple Jesus loved was following as well, the one who had reclined close to Jesus at the supper and had asked him, « Lord, who is to betray you?». On seeing him, Peter asked Jesus, «Lord, what about him?». Jesus answered, «If I want him to remain until I come, does that concern you? Follow me». Because of this the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus had not said to Peter, «He will not die», but «suppose I want him to remain until I come». 

It is this disciple who testifies about the things he has recorded here and we know that his testimony is true. But Jesus did many other things; if all were written down, the world itself would not hold the books recording them.

The Application

Many of us spend lots of energy in looking generously what others have and worry about all that we don’t have. Thus inviting sadness and disappointments in our personal, social, affective and spiritual life. The way Peter looks at John is the common temptation that should be avoided at any price.

Jesus is rather inviting you and me to look into what He has already given to us and use them in a meaningful way to achieve its finality. Following Jesus is not looking at what others have, rather looking interiorly all that the Lord has given to us. He has put into our hearts the divine goodness and our responsibility to give witness to this divine goodness in us.

It is in the self-realisation of this goodness and gratitude that our life becomes itself a witnessing life. All that the Apostles have transmitted to us is this divine goodness and generosity. By our goodness and generosity, we too can give witness to divine love and mercy.

«He has recorded here and we know that his testimony is true»

Fr. Fidel CATALÁN i Catalán 
(Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, we read the end of St. John's Gospel. Actually, it is the end of the appendix St. John's community added to the original text. In this particular case, it is a willingly significant fragment. The Resurrected Lord appears before his disciples and confirms they are to follow him, particularly as regards Peter. Next, comes the text we proclaim today in the liturgy.

The figure of the beloved disciple is central in this fragment and even in the totality of St. John's Gospel. It may refer to a concrete person —the disciple John— or, it can be a figure, behind which, any disciple loved by the Master can be placed. Whatever its meaning, the text helps to give an element of continuity to the Apostles' experience. The Resurrected Lord assures us of his presence amongst those who want to follow him.

«Suppose I want him to remain until I come» (Jn 21:22), may perhaps refer to this continuity rather than to a chronological space-time element. The beloved disciple becomes a testimony of all that, to the extent he realizes the Lord will always remain beside him. This is why he can write and his words are worth believing, because he glosses with his pen the continuous experiences of those living their mission in the midst of the world, while experiencing the presence of Jesus Christ. This beloved disciple can be each one of us provided we let be guided by the Holy Spirit, He who helps discovering this presence. 

This text, already prepares us to celebrate, tomorrow, the Solemnity of Pentecost, the Gift of the Spirit: «And the Paraclete came down from Heaven: the Church's custodian and sanctifier, the souls' administrator, the castaways' pilot, the wanderers' lighthouse, the fighting ones' arbitrator and he who crowns the winners» (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 21,20-25):

 En se retournant, Pierre aperçoit, marchant à leur suite, le disciple que Jésus aimait. (C'est lui qui, pendant le repas, s'était penché sur la poitrine de Jésus pour lui dire: «Seigneur, quel est celui qui va te livrer?») Pierre, voyant ce disciple, dit à Jésus: «Et lui, Seigneur, que lui arrivera-t-il?». Jésus lui répond: «Si je veux qu'il reste jusqu'à ce que je vienne, est-ce ton affaire? Mais toi, suis-moi». Ainsi se répandit parmi les frères l'idée que ce disciple ne mourrait pas. Or, Jésus n'avait pas dit à Pierre: «Il ne mourra pas», mais: «Si je veux qu'il reste jusqu'à ce que je vienne, est-ce ton affaire?». 

C'est lui, le disciple qui rend témoignage de tout cela, et qui l'a rapporté par écrit, et nous savons que son témoignage est vrai. Il y a encore beaucoup d'autres choses que Jésus a faites; et s'il fallait rapporter chacune d'elles, je pense que le monde entier ne suffirait pas pour contenir les livres que l'on écrirait ainsi.

L’Application

Toute grâce qui a été reçue, a une finalité : accomplir la volonté divine. Aujourd’hui Jésus nous invite à regarder à l’intérieur de soi que regarder les biens que les autres ont reçus. Comme Pierre tous sont invités à suivre le Seigneur de leur manière et à accomplir la mission qu’Il nous a confiée personnellement. Il est tout-à-fait possible comme Pierre que nous ayons nous aussi la même tentation de fixer notre regard à l’extérieur et le comparer avec notre intériorité.

De notre intériorité nous pouvons découvrir la profondeur de notre amour pour le Seigneur et vérifier dans notre extériorité, la manière dont nous nous l’exprimons. Un cœur rempli d’amour rendra visible cet amour par son engagement positive pour un monde nouveau, comme Dieu l’a voulu dès le commencement.

«C'est lui, le disciple qui rend témoignage de tout cela, et qui l'a rapporté par écrit, et nous savons que son témoignage est vrai»

Abbé Fidel CATALÁN i Catalán 
(Terrassa, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, nous lisons la dernière partie de l'Évangile de saint Jean. Il s'agit en effet, de la fin de l'appendice inséré par la communauté de Jean au texte original. En l'occurrence il s'agit d'un texte délibérément significatif. Le Seigneur ressuscité se montre à ses disciples et Il renouvelle leur adhésion, particulièrement celle de Pierre. Et ensuite l'Évangile continue avec le texte de l'Évangile d'aujourd'hui.

L'image du disciple aimé de Jésus est au centre de ce passage et même dans tout l'Évangile de saint Jean. Il peut faire référence à une personne concrète —Jean le disciple— ou bien il se peut qu'elle fasse référence à l'image de tout disciple bien aimé de Jésus. Quelle que soit sa signification le texte aide à donner un semblant de continuité à l'expérience vécue par les apôtres. Le Seigneur ressuscité leur affirme sa présence à coté de ceux qui Le suivent.

«Si je veux qu'il reste jusqu'à ce que je vienne» (Jn 21,22) cela nous donne confirmation de cette continuité bien plus qu'un élément chronologique dans l'espace et dans le temps. Le disciple bien-aimé rend témoignage de cela dans la mesure où il est conscient que le Seigneur est avec lui en toute circonstance. C'est la raison pour laquelle il peut l'écrire et sa parole est véritable, car par sa main il rend témoignage de l'expérience continue de ceux qui vivent leur mission à travers le monde en éprouvant la présence continue du Christ. Chacun d'entre nous peut devenir ce disciple bien-aimé dans la mesure où nous nous laissons guider par l'Esprit Saint car c'est l'Esprit Saint qui nous aide à découvrir à l'intérieur de nous-mêmes cette présence.

Ce texte nous prépare pour la fête solennelle de la Pentecôte, le don de l'Esprit Saint: «Et le Paraclet est descendu du ciel: le gardien et sanctificateur de l'Église, le régisseur des âmes, guide de ceux qui sombrent, phare des vagabonds, arbitre de ceux qui luttent et qui couronne les gagnants» (Saint Cyrille de Jérusalem).

Gospel text

(Jn 21,15-19): 

After Jesus and his disciples had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, «Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?». He answered, «Yes, Lord, you know that I love you». And Jesus said, «Feed my lambs». A second time Jesus said to him, «Simon, son of John, do you love me?». And Peter answered, «Yes, Lord, you know that I love you». Jesus said to him, «Look after my sheep». 

And a third time He said to him, «Simon, son of John, do you love me?». Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, «Do you love me?», and he said, «Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you». Jesus then said, «Feed my sheep. Truly, I say to you, when you were young you put on your belt and walked where you liked. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will put a belt around you and lead you where you do not wish to go». Jesus said this to make known the kind of death by which Peter was to glorify God. And He added, «Follow me».

The Application

All the graces received have a finality, particularly with an aspect of participative in the divine project. This divine project is also has an aspect of participative in a sense which is associated with the divine goodness that correlates and propagates the same divine goodness in the humanity. Thus every human goodness finds its root in the divine generosity and divine goodness. All are invited to participate in this goodness and to live in peace and joy.

Though this divine goodness is apparently invisible to our eyes, they are always available to those who search for it and specially to all those who search internally in their own humanness where God has generously placed this goodness,  very deep in our heart.  

‘Do you love me?’ though is a personal and affective question, this carries essentially a pastoral mission and the divine will. In every relationship there are two aspects and if you fail to see the truth with an eye of faith, this divine and pastoral aspect will be lost. Jesus has entrusted to us a people and we are send like a good pastor who takes care of the Lord’s sheep. Jesus is our shepherd and we are called to imitate this ‘sheperdness’ in our mission.

«‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you’. Jesus then said, ‘Feed my sheep’»

Fr. Joaquim MONRÓS i Guitart 
(Tarragona, Spain)

Today, we should be grateful to St. John for having left with us the evidence of an intimate dialogue between Jesus and Peter: «Simon, son of John, do you love me?», and he said, «Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you». Jesus then said, «Feed my lambs’» (Jn 21:15). —From the smallest ones, newly born to the Grace of God... you must take care, as if you were Myself... When a second time... «Jesus said to him, ‘Look after my sheep’», He is actually telling Simon Peter: —You must guide all those who follow me in my Love, and you must see to it they all have the charity ordained. Thus, through you, everyone will realize they are following Me; for it is my Will you go always first, while administering the merits that —for each one— I have gained.

«Peter was saddened because Jesus asked him a third time, ‘Do you love me?’», and he said, «Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you’» (Jn 21:17). His triple denial makes him rectify, and just remembering it, saddens him. —I truly love you despite I denied you..., you know how much I have regretted my betrayal, you know how much I found consolation by being with your Mother and brothers.

I find consolation in remembering that the Lord established the power to forgive sins that separate us, whether a little or a lot, from his Love and the love to our brothers. —I find consolation when admitting the truth of my distancing from You while feeling from your priestly lips the «I absolve you» “by way of judgment”.

We find consolation in the power of those keys Jesus Christ confers to his priests-ministers, to open again the doors to his friendship. —Lord, I see that indifference can be arranged by a more intense act of love. It makes us altogether evaluate the immense joy of the Sacrament of forgiveness to confess our sins, which are really a “lack of love”.

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 21,15-19): 

Quand ils eurent déjeuné, Jésus dit à Simon-Pierre: «Simon, fils de Jean, m'aimes-tu plus que ceux-ci?». Il lui répond: «Oui, Seigneur, je t'aime, tu le sais». Jésus lui dit: «Sois le berger de mes agneaux». Il lui dit une deuxième fois: «Simon, fils de Jean, m'aimes-tu?». Il lui répond: «Oui, Seigneur, je t'aime, tu le sais». Jésus lui dit: «Sois le pasteur de mes brebis». 

Il lui dit, pour la troisième fois: «Simon, fils de Jean, est-ce que tu m'aimes?». Pierre fut peiné parce que, pour la troisième fois, il lui demandait: «Est-ce que tu m'aimes?» et il répondit: «Seigneur, tu sais tout: tu sais bien que je t'aime». Jésus lui dit: «Sois le berger de mes brebis. Amen, amen, je te le dis: quand tu étais jeune, tu mettais ta ceinture toi-même pour aller là où tu voulais; quand tu seras vieux, tu étendras les mains, et c'est un autre qui te mettra ta ceinture, pour t'emmener là où tu ne voudrais pas aller». Jésus disait cela pour signifier par quel genre de mort Pierre rendrait gloire à Dieu. Puis il lui dit encore: «Suis-moi».

«‘Seigneur, tu sais tout: tu sais bien que je t'aime’. Jésus lui dit: ‘Sois le berger de mes brebis’»

Abbé Joaquim MONRÓS i Guitart 
(Tarragona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, nous devons remercier saint Jean de nous avoir légué le récit de cette conversation intime entre Jésus et Pierre: «‘Simon, fils de Jean, m'aimes-tu plus que ceux-ci?’. Il lui répond: ‘Oui, Seigneur, je t'aime, tu le sais’. Jésus lui dit: ‘Sois le berger de mes agneaux’» (Jn 21,15). —Sur les plus petits, nouveau-nés à la vie de Grâce... tu dois veiller comme si tu étais Moi... La deuxième fois, quand «Jésus lui dit: sois le pasteur de mes brebis», Il suggère à Simon Pierre: —Tu vas présider en mon Amour à tous ceux qui me suivront et t'assurer qu'ils agissent bien selon une charité ordonnée. Ainsi, tous sauront qu'à travers toi, c'est Moi qu'ils suivent; car telle est ma volonté: que tu marches toujours au-devant, en dispensant les mérites que J'ai gagnés pour chacun d'eux.

«Pierre fut peiné parce que, pour la troisième fois, il lui demandait: ‘Est-ce que tu m'aimes?’ et il répondit: ‘Seigneur, tu sais tout: tu sais bien que je t'aime’» (Jn 21,17). Jésus lui fait rectifier son triple reniement et, à son seul souvenir, Pierre est tout peiné. —Je t'aime totalement, même si je t'ai renié..., tu sais déjà comment j'ai pleuré ma trahison, tu sais que je n'ai trouvé de consolation qu’auprès de ta Mère et nos frères.

Nous sommes consolés quand nous nous rappelons que le Seigneur a établi le pouvoir d'effacer le péché qui, peu ou prou, nous sépare de son Amour et de l'amour pour nos frères. —Je trouve ma consolation lorsque je reconnais que je suis éloigné de Toi et que j'écoute de tes lèvres sacerdotales le «Je t'absous» “en forme de jugement”.

Nous trouvons notre consolation dans ce pouvoir des clés que Jésus-Christ accorde à tous ses prêtres —administrateurs de l'ouverture des portes de Son amitié. —Seigneur, je vois qu'un manque d'amour se guérit grâce à un acte d'amour immense. Tout cela, nous conduit à mieux apprécier l'immense trésor du sacrement du pardon pour confesser nos péchés qui, réellement, sont une “dés-affection”.

Gospel text

(Jn 17,20-26): 

Jesus said, «I pray not only for these but also for those who through their word will believe in me. May they all be one as you Father are in me and I am in you. May they be one in us; so the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the Glory you have given me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. Thus they shall reach perfection in unity and the world shall know that you have sent me and that I have loved them just as you loved me. 

»Father, since you have given them to me, I want them to be with me where I am and see the Glory you gave me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world has not known you but I have known you, and these have known that you have sent me. As I revealed your Name to them, so will I continue to reveal it, so that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I also may be in them».

The Application

The gospel of John is a pleasure to read and contemplate. Many of us do appreciate the chapters 15 and 17 in our search to understand the divine love. It is  the will of the Father that we know Him through his son and it is the will of the son that we know His Father through Him.

The finality of knowing the Father is, to know His love for us and how much He loved us and loves us still through His son. Knowing and living this love has its own finality. Jesus precise it by telling us that just like the JOY he has in the Father, that our joy may be also perfect and complete. There is a deep desire for the Lord that this joy habits in us.

It is possible only if we remain united with the Father, just like the vine and the branch. Today for the humanity, this union is accessible only through the humanity of Jesus, in which He has made us in a dignified way, to participle in the divinity of the Father.

This union has its own finality: that all be united with the Father. It is our vocation baptismal that we announce this good news to the whole world and unite them, as Jesus has united with the Father. That is to say, unite them with us that they may taste the joy in us, and through us Jesus Christ and through Jesus Christ, the Father.  This is a herculous task and impossible for us to achieve. Jesus is sending us the Holy Spirit and He will do everything in us and through us.

«I pray not only for these but also for those who through their word will believe in me»

Fr. Joaquim PETIT Llimona, L.C. 
(Barcelona, Spain)

Today, we find a solid basis for trust in the Gospel: «Holy Father, I pray not only for these but also for those who through their word will believe in me...» (Jn 17:20). It is Jesus' heart, which, in the intimacy of Jesus with his disciples, opens up the inexhaustible treasures of His Love. He wants to strengthen their hearts overwhelmed by the sense of farewell that, during the Last Supper, the Master's words and gestures have left them with. It is Jesus' unfailing prayer that goes up to the Father, pleading for them. What a confidence and strength will they find in this prayer throughout their apostolic mission! Amidst all the difficulties and dangers they have to face, this prayer will go all the way with them to become the source where they will find the strength and courage to give the final testimony of their faith with the offering of their own life.

We should let the reality of Jesus' prayer for his disciples to reach our lives, too: «I pray not only for these but also for those who will believe in me...». These words travel through time and centuries to attain, with the same intensity they were once said, the hearts of every true believer.

In the living memory of His Holiness John Paul II's last visit to Spain, we find in his words the echo of Jesus' prayer for his disciples: «With my open arms, in my heart I carry you all —said the Pontiff before more than a million persons—. The memory of these days will become a prayer, we shall beg the peace for you in fraternal coexistence, encouraged by the Christian hope that never loses heart». An another Pontiff, not so close in time, also made an exhortation that, after many centuries, have reached our heart, too: «There is no ailing one whom the victory of the cross be denied to, nor there is anyone whom Christ's prayer does not help to. For, if it was so profitable for those who treated him so cruelly, how much more will it not be for those who are converted unto him» (St. Leo the Great).

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 17,20-26):

 «Je ne prie pas seulement pour ceux qui sont là, mais encore pour ceux qui accueilleront leur parole et croiront en moi. Que tous, ils soient un, comme toi, Père, tu es en moi, et moi en toi. Qu'ils soient un en nous, eux aussi, pour que le monde croie que tu m'as envoyé. Et moi, je leur ai donné la gloire que tu m'as donnée, pour qu'ils soient un comme nous sommes un: moi en eux, et toi en moi. Que leur unité soit parfaite ; ainsi, le monde saura que tu m'as envoyé, et que tu les as aimés comme tu m'as aimé. 

»Père, ceux que tu m'as donnés, je veux que là où je suis, eux aussi soient avec moi, et qu'ils contemplent ma gloire, celle que tu m'as donnée parce que tu m'as aimé avant même la création du monde. Père juste, le monde ne t'a pas connu, mais moi je t'ai connu, et ils ont reconnu, eux aussi, que tu m'as envoyé. Je leur ai fait connaître ton nom, et je le ferai connaître encore, pour qu'ils aient en eux l'amour dont tu m'as aimé, et que moi aussi, je sois en eux».

«Je ne prie pas seulement pour ceux qui sont là, mais encore pour ceux qui accueilleront leur parole et croiront en moi»

Abbé Joaquim PETIT Llimona, L.C. 
(Barcelona, Espagne)

Texte de l'Évangile (Jn 17,11b-19): 

Père saint, garde-les unis dans ton nom, le nom que tu m’as donné, pour qu’ils soient un, comme nous-mêmes. Quand j’étais avec eux, je les gardais unis dans ton nom, le nom que tu m’as donné. J’ai veillé sur eux, et aucun ne s’est perdu, sauf celui qui s’en va à sa perte de sorte que l’Écriture soit accomplie. 

Et maintenant que je viens à toi, je parle ainsi, dans le monde, pour qu’ils aient en eux ma joie, et qu’ils en soient comblés. Moi, je leur ai donné ta parole, et le monde les a pris en haine parce qu’ils n’appartiennent pas au monde, de même que moi je n’appartiens pas au monde. Je ne prie pas pour que tu les retires du monde, mais pour que tu les gardes du Mauvais. Ils n’appartiennent pas au monde, de même que moi, je n’appartiens pas au monde. Sanctifie-les dans la vérité : ta parole est vérité. De même que tu m’as envoyé dans le monde, moi aussi, je les ai envoyés dans le monde. Et pour eux je me sanctifie moi-même, afin qu’ils soient, eux aussi, sanctifiés dans la vérité.».

«Qu'ils aient en eux ma joie, et qu'ils en soient comblés»

Abbé Thomas LANE 
(Emmitsburg, Maryland, Etats-Unis)

Gospel text

(Jn 17,1-11a): 

Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, «Father, the hour has come; give glory to your Son, that the Son may give glory to you. You have given him power over all mortals, and you want him to bring eternal life to all you have entrusted to him. For this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the One you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. 

»Now, Father, give me in your presence the same Glory I had with you before the world began. I have made your name known to those you gave me from the world. They were yours and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. And now they know that all you have given me comes indeed from you. I have given them the teaching I received from you, and they received it and know in truth that I came from you; and they believe that you have sent me.

»I pray for them; I do not pray for the world but for those who belong to you and whom you have given to me —indeed all I have is yours and all you have is mine— and now they are my glory. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world whereas I am going to you. Holy Father, keep them in your Name (that you have given me,) so that they may be one, just as we are».

The Application

The Christian living is a response to the divine call. Thus our baptismal life itself is a vocation and God accompanies us in this mission so that we may accomplish this and go courageously till the end of this march. Even the life of Jesus was a response to the mission that His Father has entrusted to Him. Jesus is revealing to His disciples the mission entrusted to Him and through this prayers He gives account to His Father.

If we look deep in to this prayer we find the deep Trinitarian relationship that they entertain themselves, the deep passion of Jesus not only to accomplish the Father’s mission (the revelation of the Father to the nation), but also His boundless love for his disciples. Knowing in advance the immediate persecutions that His disciples have to suffer, Jesus present these disciples and all the member of His CHURCH to the Father. There is a deep common belonging, all are part of one single unity, unity of the creation with the Trinity.

Do we in our daily life sense the same intense feeling of ‘belonging’? If so, what is the mission received? And what is our prayer? Do we realize the inner movements which are pushing us to engage positively to our baptismal vocation? Have a wonderful day.

«Father, the hour has come»

Fr. Pere OLIVA i March 
(Sant Feliu de Torelló, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, St. John's Gospel —that we have been reading for days now— begins by speaking of “the hour”: «Father, the hour has come» (Jn 17:1). The crowning moment, the clarification of everything, the utmost donation of Christ who delivers himself to all... But “the hour” still is a hidden reality to men; it will be revealed as the scheme of Jesus' life will open the perspective of the Cross.

Has the hour come? What hour? Well, the hour when men will recognize God's name, that is, his actions, his way to address Mankind, his way to speak to us; in the Son, in the Christ He loves.

Now a day, men and women know God through Jesus («I have given them the teaching I received from you»: Jn 17:8), we become witnesses of life, of the divine life developing inside us thanks to the Baptism. In him, we live, we move, we are; in him, we find words that feed us and make us grow; in him, we discover what God wants out of us: our plenitude, our human realization, an existence that does not live out of personal vainglory but out of an existential attitude that becomes strong through the same God and his Glory. As St. Irineus remind us, «The Glory of God is living man». Let us exalt and praise God and his glory so that we, human beings, can reach our plenitude!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ marks us; we work for the glory of God, a task that translates in a better service for today's men and women's lives. This means working for true human communication, true happiness of the person, to increase the joy of the sad ones, to exert compassion on the needing... In short: open to Life (with capital letters).

For the Spirit, God works inside every human being and lives in the deepest part of the person constantly incentivating everybody to live as per the Gospel values. The Good News is the expression of the liberating happiness He wants to give us.